I speculated, after episode nine, that the Batch would finally cut ties with their abusive quest giver, Cid. After all, their so-called mutually beneficial relationship has always felt rather one-sided, with Cid getting someone to do her dirty work for so little pay. At every point, Cid has shown she doesn’t care one bit about her freelance workers, even after they’ve saved her several times.
Episode 13, “Pabu,†shows the Batch is at last starting to grow a spine and think about more than just surviving. They’re cutting ties with their slimy boss, even if it means retaliation from someone who knows a lot about this group of people on the run from the Empire. Still, it is hard to cut ties with someone toxic, especially if you have nothing or no one to fall back on. For the Batch, who have known no home other than Kamino and had no allies other than their brothers and commanders, leaving Cid behind is a rather bleak and risky endeavor, considering they’re still on the run from the Empire. But, they are at their tipping point.
The episode itself is about what happens next for them, about the question they (like all the clones) have avoided asking themselves for years: what happens when they stop fighting, when they stop running? As the entire season has reminded us, the Batch is no longer just a group of soldiers, but they also have a kid among them. The adults need to think about how long they can keep Omega trapped in the ship with them, going from war zone to war zone.
At least someone has Omega’s well-being in mind: Phee. That’s right, our favorite new Star Wars pirate is back. A group of mercenaries nearly murders her three times (first via poison, next via poisonous insect, and lastly just via blaster) in order to acquire a rare space bonsai tree. Even with all these attempts on her life, the liberator of ancient wonders is worried for Omega, who doesn’t spend any time with kids her age, or even just people who don’t share her genetic material. She needs to learn things other than fighting. Upon learning that the Batch has cut ties with Cid — and also that Cid is threatening them with the information she has on the group — Phee suggests they go to her hidden sanctuary on the planet Pabu, the Star Wars equivalent of a pirate haven in the Caribbean.
What we get is a beautiful new location, an island in the middle of an ocean planet that looks like the less-dangerous version of Scarif, or the less-bourgeois version of Andor’s beach resort planet of Niamos. We get beautifully rendered vistas of houses and buildings that look straight out of a Greek island, made better by the red hues of the sunset hitting the island. This is a place full of refugees from the Clone Wars and from the Empire, people who lost their homes, with the island’s giant vault holding treasures from all over the galaxy — specifically, remnants of the refugees’ different cultures.
When the Batch meets the mayor of Pabu, he offers them something they have never even thought about: a clean slate and a place to start fresh and find stability and peace. This place is small and remote, nowhere near the Empire’s radar. Plus, right away, Omega befriends the mayor’s daughter and heads out on a boat to enjoy the sunset, feeling right at home. Later she asks Omega about not staying anywhere for too long and whether she feels lonely. Though Omega hadn’t considered that until now, she and every other clone is bound to start thinking about permanence, given how quickly they are being left behind.
Of course, this is The Bad Batch, so things are bound to go wrong eventually. Surprisingly, rather than the Empire finding them or Phee betraying them, Hunter starts getting a bad feeling when a tremor hits and shakes the island. Though the islanders don’t think much of it, Tech knows better, the whole island is at risk of a sea surge, which is happening right now and will eradicate the lower part of the city. While Wrecker and Tech join the mayor and Phee in evacuating the citizens, Hunter takes the ship to rescue Omega and the mayor’s daughter who are stranded in the middle of the waterless sea, with the water receding to make place for a huge tsunami heading their way.
This is Star Wars doing a full-on disaster epic, their own Atlantis, and it rules. The tension is very high, the look of the huge approaching wave is menacing, the use of the colors of the sunset aid in the drama of it all, juxtaposing the warmth of the light with the coldness of the impending doom. When the wave finally hits, it kind of looks like it was shot in live-action using models. Thankfully, no lives were lost, as Tech and Phee managed to lower emergency ladders from the top of the vault, allowing the people to climb up.
As the episode ends, the mayor of Pabu says the town will survive; they lost only things, and they can rebuild. Hunter and Tech recognize the opportunity and ask if they can stick around for a while to help out. Finally, it seems, the Batch has a place to call home. There is no more running; they at least have a base of operations. This is a huge turning point for them, and now all that’s left is to come to terms with a question they’ve been asking themselves since the start of the season: How long can they stay on the sidelines of the larger galactic conflict? My guess is the answer will involve Crosshair.
The Mission Report
• So far, this season has worked to make every side mission feel unique and different, mostly by tackling a different movie genre — racing, treasure hunting, sci-fi horror, and now disaster movies. What should they tackle next? My money is on a full-on musical.